I Have No Idea What is Happening so I'm Just Going with the Flow Here
by Anya Jones
Summary: Belle is totally normal...or so she thinks. She has a pretty average life-17, loves to read, hangs out with big brother, parents dead in a car crash she barely survived herself...scars all over from vicious attack in the hospital...yeah, totally normal. Then she gets sucked up to Olympus to join her favorite characters. M for my later paranoia. Percicobeth. Luke X OC (or is she?)
1. Chapter 1

_**CHAPTER 1**_

In the middle of November, 2020, I was alone. This in and of itself wasn't odd; I was often left on my own. I had only one family member—well, okay, only one that I talked to, only one that I had any kind of closeness with. I'd had to relearn that closeness after…

Ahem…

More on that later.

Anyway, I was just sitting in my—empty—living room, having plopped down to read a book. It was a day off from school; the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Why do we always get that Wednesday off? Is it really necessary? I mean, I get that a lot of kids would skip even if we _had_ school—week-long vacation or whatever—but _some_ would come.

Sorry, rambling. I do that a lot. Please disregard it.

The book I was reading was actually Rick Riordan's _Blood of Olympus_. I know, I know…I'm _way_ behind the loop on that one. In my defense, though, I'd only actually found out about the series like a month ago. I'm a fast reader, though, so it was easy to catch up that far. I'd also taken the time to read a few of the companions—mainly because the characters are so good. I wanted to really get to know them, you know? Especially Percy, Luke, Nico, Annabeth and Thalia. Reyna and Zoë, too, though there isn't much to see about them.

So, I was sitting and reading.

Suddenly, a soft light surrounded me, making me jump up in surprise, dropping the book in the process.

* * *

When the light cleared, I was standing in a familiar building. Well, familiar to my brain, at least. I'd never actually been there.

 _Is this the Empire State Building?_ I thought. _Yes, yes it is._

"Can I help you?"

I spun around at the chipper voice. A woman stood behind the desk, smiling. She was taller than me by nearly a foot, with blond hair and violet-blue eyes.

The woman repeated the question, still smiling. "I guess," I replied slowly, taking a step toward her. "I don't really know how I got here, or why I _am_ here. Do you?"

Her smile grew into a grin. "What is your name, dear?"

I hesitated. "Um..."

She shrugged, still smiling. "That's alright. You don't have to tell me." She held out a key. "Elevators are in the left. Put this in the keyhole, then press the glowing button. It goes to the six-hundredth floor. Good luck. Tell them I said hello..." She glanced at her computer, then toward the door. Following her gaze, I blinked. The glass doors glittered in the sunlight, a rainbow of color; through the light, I could just barely see a golden carriage. "Or not," she continued. "I'm sure the boss has messages for most of them, anyway...Have a nice day!"

By the time I looked back at her, she was gone. I just shrugged. _She must have gone into a back room or something._

I walked over to the elevators, slipping inside one of them and putting the key in. After I pressed the button that appeared, the door slid closed. The music was _White Rabbit_ , which I ignored, waiting patiently until the door opened.

At my floor, I stepped out into the marble walkway hesitantly.

 _It won't collapse,_ I told myself. _It was repaired after the last war. Besides, it's just a dream, right? Can't die here, anyway._ So, I was in Olympus. The path was pretty empty, no gods or satyrs or anything out. I walked quietly up the stairs, arriving at the end of a long street.

On the other end stood a temple, so large that it needed fourteen columns to hold it up. Each was a different design, symbolizing the twelve Olympians, plus Hades and Hestia. (I almost wondered wet they were included, but let it go; they're my favorites, anyway, and they don't get enough credit if you ask me.)

Having approached the temple as I admired the columns, I was startled from my thoughts by the large doors opening.

I stepped inside, walking deeper into the temple as I called out. "Hello? Is anyone here? What's going on?" I jumped as the doors slammed closed behind me, but continued through the building. Another staircase, directly in the middle, led up to a second...third...fourth...fifth level. I sighed, climbing up the steps.

At the very top was a short hallway, leading to a new set of doors. I rapped on the door, the sound bouncing off the walls behind me. "Hello? Anyone in there? Can you tell me why I'm here?"

I was about to knock again when the door opened, revealing a small girl. Shorter than me, even. She looked about twelve, and so skinny she probably couldn't tip the scale at ninety pounds dripping wet. Her brown eyes were curious, her hair in a messy ponytail. She had on a brown dress and matching ballet flats.

"Hello," she said quietly, smiling serenely. She stepped back into the room featuring me inside. "Please, come in. I cannot answer your question, but you are welcome to wait inside until the others arrive."

Stepping through the door, I looked at her in bemusement. "Others? What—"

"What do you want to be called, dear?"

I paused. Obviously, I want supposed to give my real name. I never did in dreams, actually. I always said... "Belle. Call me Belle."

"Are you sure?" I nodded, making her grin. "Alright. The others should arrive soon. They are so excited to meet you."

"Why—" I stopped. "Right, you won't answer."

At the center of the room was a semicircle of twelve thrones— though they were the sizes of normal chairs—surrounding a large fireplace. I glanced around as the girl knelt by the hearth, waving her hand over the flame—it jumped up to meet her skin, circling her wrist.

That's when it dawned on me. "Are you Lady Hestia?"

The girl smiled, letting the flame settle. "Yes. Very good, Belle. Few notice me anymore, I'm afraid."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "You're one of my favorites..." She raised a brow. "I always tell...my brother that if I'd been born in another time, I might have been a Vestal Virgin." I laughed.

She blinked. "Oh. That's...interesting."

"I just...I'm very supportive of families, I guess. And I've always loved fire."

"Good," she replied. "Family is very important."

I stayed silent, looking around again. Finally, I took a deep breath, sighing. "So why was the path so empty? Aren't there usually, I don't know, _people_ around here?"

"Usually," Hestia admitted. "But Olympus is closed today. Only certain people are allowed in. You and I, for instance, but also the other Olympians, including my...brother."

Judging from her expression, the two were estranged. I guessed. "Lord Hades?"

"Yes." She gazed at the fire. "It pains me to say it, but we gods simply are not perfect enough to have good relations amongst ourselves. And Hades stays in the Underworld so long, hardly visiting for the solstice meeting. He is...separate from us in many ways."

"It's really too bad," I replied. "Lord Hades is very important to the world—will rule over his kingdom long after humanity and the other gods are gone—but he is still not accepted. Even in his own family, it seems."

Hestia turned to me, her brow scrunched in thought. "That is an interesting philosophy, Belle. Is Hades another of your favorite gods?"

"Yes. I read a lot of books...One of them had this great story about him, and I'd seen hints of the same in a few myths about him."

"What do you like about the gods?"

I paused. "Well...I suppose I admire the sky, as well as storms, which I guess would be Lord Zeus. But I don't like how he cheats on Lady Hera. She is a good wife, if jealous. I've always thought marriage was very sacred, even if it's not for me." Deep breath. "I love the sea, and Poseidon's water powers are pretty spectacular. I'm a gardener in my spare time, which I suppose links me to Demeter, and I love walking in wheat fields. I like that she isn't a girly girl—at least, not from what I heard. I wish I could grow grapes like Dionysus. And his followers were pretty cool, too." I paused for a long moment, and Hestia looked over at me.

"Please go on," she said with a smile. "This is a new perspective, hearing of my own family from a mortal who has never truly meet them. Demigods, all they do is complain about their parent, and the few mortals with sight simply ignore the signs. You, though, Belle...are very interesting. You have perfect sight, it seems, and yet...you do not believe in us."

"I do..."

She shook her head. "Allow me to rephrase. You are a religious believer, but you also believe this to be a dream."

"True," I replied. "I basically believe in all gods, actually..."

"There is something about you..." She trailed off, staring out at space, before continuing. "It's blocked from my sight, though...perhaps we will find out?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. As far as I know, I'm pretty normal, other than reading all those mythology books."

"Well, go on then! Tell me what you think of the others!"

"Which would you like to hear about?"

"Any you can think of," she said, twirling a bit of fire around her hand. "The council won't arrive for a little while—they want you to be comfortable with one of us, just to get an idea of how you will react to them."

I shuddered, then sighed. "Well, you already know why I like you. Lord Hades ought to be more respected, I think, but I like that he doesn't constantly need other's to like him. Plus, I bet the Underworld is a pretty cool place. I mean, I've heard a lot about it, and it seems amazing-looking. Then, I really like Lord Apollo. Sunshine is very pretty, I think. Plus, he's _totally_ a multitasker. You know, sun, music, medicine—all very important. Um...Lady Athena is really smart—I usually try to say something nice in prayer during school. It probably doesn't help, but I'll do it forever, probably. And, you know, she's very supportive of heroes, which I think is nice." I paused for breath, looking over and counting chairs. "My reason for looking Lady Artemis is similar to my reason for liking you—she had good ideals, and protects those around her. Lord Hephaestus is very good at building things, I've heard. That's pretty cool. Then again, everything I've ever tried to build has fallen apart, so..." I laughed.

"What of Hermes, Aphrodite and Ares? Are there others you have read about?"

"Lord Hermes is very important, I think. He's quite the trader, and I'm also a strong believer in communication and travel. Lord Ares...I don't particularly like war, but I can understand that it is essential to balance. I mean, if everyone was always happy, there wouldn't be any need for progress or invention." Hestia nodded thoughtfully. "And as for Lady Aphrodite..." I sighed. "Well...as much as I hate it, beauty is very important in society. Therefore, I suppose it's just as well that some have it and some don't. Physical beauty, I mean. I've always seen personalities, myself. Though, now that I think about it, people don't necessarily have those, either. Plus, I like how she helps people in bad situations find love. I mean, she really should have just started out of the whole Helen situation, but there are other stories. Like the guy with the statue—Pygmalion and Galatea. I like that story." I stopped, thinking. "I suppose there are others. Lord Thanatos, I guess, but only because I—"

"What?"

"I..." I hesitated. "I think I met him once...And the other one, Lord Hypnos? I saw him just the other day, I think..." I shrugged. "Then again, I was really sick when I thought I saw Lord Thanatos. And I was—duh—dreaming when Lord Hypnos appeared. I always have been fascinated with sleep and death; they're so similar, and yet different. I suppose their darkness is also why I like Lady Nyx."

"And Hercules? Young people like Hercules, right?"

I pursed my lips. "I guess. Strength is very important, yes, but...I don't know. I mostly only read about him because he's more...human? He had more human problems than a lot of the others."

Hestia nodded. "I can understand that." He eyes locked back on the fire. "Is there anything you like to do besides read?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. I like to write, I guess. And draw, though I'm not very good at it. Oh." I looked down, and sure enough, I was wrong a sweatshirt. I reached into the pocket; as I suspected, my trusty notebook was inside. I yanked it out, flipping through the pages. I got to my favorite drawing—one of my brother, with a story is written beneath it. I handed it to Hestia. "That's my brother. He fell asleep when he was studying for his finals, and he didn't wake up for a couple of hours so I took the time to draw him. The story is something I made up."

She looked at it for a moment, then smiled. "This is lovely, Belle."

My cheeks burned as I took it back, putting it back into my pocket. "I guess..."

Hestia blinked. "The others are arriving."

I raised a brow. "When—" I was cut off by a flash of light.


	2. Chapter 2

_**CHAPTER 2**_

When the spots cleared from my vision, my first thought was, _Gods, I hope I wasn't blind for long._

The room was now illuminated, at least. No more darkness, no more needing the light of the fire. As I stood from my position keeping by the fire, I noticed them.

Before me, in the previously empty thrones, sat twelve people whom I would assume were the Olympian council. Each was just as I imagined they would be:

Zeus and Hera both looked regal, the former in black dress pants and a blue button up shirt, the latter in a flowing dress of the lightest pink. Hera's gold hair was tied up in an elaborate braid over her right shoulder and her hazel eyes seemed warm enough, though their gaze was also calculating; probably due to the fact that her husband is a cheater. Zeus' blue eyes twinkled in the light like streaks of lightning; his dark hair looked rather shaggy, but paired with the barely-there scruff it made him look...well, sufficiently godly.

Athena had her gold-blonde hair pulled into a ponytail, and her grey eyes stared out from her angelic face with a cold and calculating gaze not unlike that of her stepmother. She sat beside her father stiffly, dressed in a simple cotton shirt and jeans, high-heel boots covering her feet. Hermes, sitting on her other side, looked like a commoner by contrast, though his clothes were similar—he, too, wore a simple t-shirt and khaki shorts, sandaled feet crossed at the ankles. He looked like the stereotypical surfer dude, with shaggy blond hair and twinkling blue eyes that were just a shade lighter than his dad's.

Demeter and Aphrodite both wore dresses, though different colors—Demeter's was the color of light mint, bringing out her grassy eyes; Aphrodite's that of a foamy ocean. Demeter's wheat-blond hair was teased up into a bun, though a few strings had come loose; paired with her tan skin, it gave her the look of slaving in a field, though she couldn't have done much in her flimsy sandals. Then again...she _is_ the harvest goddess. She could probably do anything she wanted in that regard. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what Aphrodite looked like—my guess was it'd take a while before her appearance attuned to my perfect image of beauty.

On either side of Aphrodite sat Ares and Hephaestus, neither looking particularly happy to be there. Hephaestus was dressed similarly to Hermes—in khaki shorts, a loose t-shirt and a mismatched pair of combat boots—but his appearance was less casual and more this-is-all-I-could-be-bothered-to-dress-up-in. He kept pulling things out of his pockets and tinkering, building things and destroying them in a matter of seconds; his hazel eyes matched his mother's, and his shaggy dark hair stitched seamlessly into his scraggly beard (which, if I wasn't mistaken, kept catching on fire randomly). He wasn't as deformed as everyone says; there was just a slight unvenness in his shoulders, and he had odd little discs on his legs, presumably keeping them looking normal. Ares, on the other side, sitting between his girlfriend and his mother, looked downright uncomfortable and pretty irritated; he kept tapping his nails on his chair and running his other hand over his close-cropped military-style hair. His red dress shirt looked like it was made from blood, and it contrasted in an ugly way with his black dress pants and dress shoes (I noticed a leather jacket draped across the back of his chair). Usually, I like the black-and-red combination; but for some reason, on Ares, it didn't sit right with me. Just looking at him made me want to punch something. His eyes were an odd reddish-brown, and the color and attitude of them looked so angry and violent and irritated that I vaguely wondered if he'd been pulled out of a fight to come here.

Artemis and Apollo were dressed similarly—but by the way they inched away from each other, you could tell they hadn't meant to do it. Both wore black skinny jeans tucked into brown leather hunting boots, with stark white t-shirts on their upper halves. The only difference was that Artemis had a silver hoodie on over her clothes. Though their basic bone structure was relatively the same, Artemis' cheekbones were just a little higher, her mouth just a bit fuller, her eyes just a little bigger and more child-like. Her face was serious, though. Not cold, just serious. Artemis' hair was dark, like the sky at midnight, and her eyes gleamed a bright silver. Apollo's hair was golden, his eyes a bright sky blue. He was smiling, showing off a row of straight, blindingly white teeth.

Poseidon sat between his sister Demeter and his nephew Dionysus, on the side of the council closest to Hestia. He sat straight in his seat, looking almost nervous for some reason; his dark hair flopping in his eyes a little, his fingers momentarily tangling in his scraggly beard every now and then, his sea-green eyes darting across the faces of his family. Maybe because he was in his brother's domain and not his own. His clothes were kind of fisherman-like; blue button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and top two buttons left unbuttoned. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I realized it was because the buttons were uneven, the button holes shifted too far up. He, like Hermes and Hephaestus, wore khaki pants, though he seemed to lean more toward Hermes' style with the sandals. Dionysus was wearing khakis and sandals, too, but his semi-loose shirt was adorned with horrific Hawaiian flowers and he wore dress shoes on his feet. He looked bored, his long fingers tangling in his dark hair as he leaned on the arm of his chair and his eyelids drooping over eyes the color of dark violet wine. Though the other gods were ridiculously toned and fit, it struck me as odd that he was so. Maybe just because I'd spent so long looking at him through Percy's eyes, and had expected him to be...well, fatter and scruffier. But he was just as fit and good-looking as the rest of his family.

I'd seen Hades first, but only after seeing everyone else did I look back at him. It surprised me, as it had with Dionysus, that he was so good-looking. His dark hair flopped into his obsidian eyes, which were lined in dark circles. Unlike his brothers, he was cleaned shaven; his jaw was gaunt, not soft in any way, his lips in a thin line. He wasn't skinny or emaciated, but he wasn't chubby, either. He was somewhere between Ares' bulkiness and Apollo's athleticism. His black dress shirt hugged his chest in a flattering way, his black dress pants flowing just right over his fancy shoes, and he looked almost more kingly than his brother, Zeus; his straight posture wasn't really haughty—more like practiced—and he, like his other brother, didn't really seem comfortable with being there, standing still in an awkward way about a foot from Apollo's chair. _He really does look like a goth emo dude from an anime or manga,_ I mused. Hestia stood on the other side of the semicircle. She'd grown from her girly image, now looking about the same age as the other gods. Her gown had changed to a flowing red frock, though her hair was still in its messy ponytail.

All of these observations were taken in a matter of seconds, a by-product of the adrenaline rushing through my veins after the temporary blindness.

All of the Olympians were staring at me.

"Sorry," I said slowly. "What did I miss during the light show?" A few chuckled nervously at that.

"Nothing," Zeus said. "You were only blind for a moment."

"Oh." I was startled; usually glare spots last for longer with me. "Well, good," I said, regaining my composure. I looked around, my hands on my hips. " _Now_ will somebody explain why I am here?"

A couple of gods looked confused. Athena was the one to answer, speaking slowly. "You mean no one has told you?"

I shook my head.

Hestia replied, "I thought it best to wait until we were all here."

"You are here to read with us."

I waited for someone to deny it, for someone to jump out and say _Gotcha!_ but no one did. "Really?" I asked happily, and they nodded. "What are we reading?"

The council looked around, like they were waiting for something. Then Artemis said, "We don't exactly know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" I asked carefully, looking at each of them in turn.

Apollo was the one to answer my question. He stood and pulled a piece of paper from his back pocket. "We found this note sitting next to the fire eight days ago. We did everything it said, but we still don't know what it means." As he spoke, he handed it to me and sat back down.

I unfolded the paper and read it quickly. It said:

 _Hello. You guys are going to read for once in your immortal lives (except for you, Athena, you are great at reading, but you still have to read the books) and you are going to LIKE IT! You will find a young girl to guide your reactions to said books (because I know that you will pick the correct girl) and there will be certain…guests to read with you, as well. Congratulations, I hope you like the books._

 _Talk soon,_

 _Your anonymous Supplier_

After reading the note, I handed it back to Apollo, who put it back in his pocket. "At first, we thought Atty over here was trying to pull one over our heads to get us to read, but then we realized that there was no way any note written by her would be so informal." Apollo started to grit his teeth as he spoke the next part. "Then, everyone thought that I had been the one to write the note, since it gave the impression that the writer could tell the future. But obviously it wasn't me. I mean, why would I want everyone to read?"

"But there isn't anyone else that could possibly know so much, as far as we know," said Demeter, smiling kindly, "and Atty and Polo here were the smartest bets."

"Hey," Athena said crossly, "don't group me into the same category with THAT." She pointed at Apollo like he was the worst thing to ever be compared to. "And DON'T call me Atty. I hate that."

"Well, maybe if you weren't always trying to get us all to read your stupid architectural books, no one would have accused you." Apollo was on his feet, getting right up in Athena's face as she rose to meet him.

"Well, maybe no one would have accused you were you not always playing silly pranks on us all." Athena was giving as good as she got, and both she and Apollo's faces were red with anger. Finally, Apollo relented, sitting back down.

"Whatever," he said, turning and looking anywhere but in Athena's direction. "And don't call me Polo. I hate that." He turned to glare at his aunt, but she just threw a piece of wheat at him and stuck her tongue out.

"Um," I said, and everyone suddenly looked at me, making me a bit nervous. I shrunk down on myself. "Did you guys ever think that maybe it was the Fates who wrote the note?"

The gods looked at each other. "Well," Zeus began, but he didn't continue.

" _Well_ , what?" I asked.

"He means to say no," Hera answered, looking at her husband sharply, "we didn't."

"Well, it was probably them," I said, "and they must just really want you guys to read these books, but I still don't—" I was interrupted by the fire.

Hestia and Hades both yelled, "Look out! Get down!" and rushed me, pushing me away from the hearth and to the ground, landing on top of me like a shield against the explosion.

* * *

"Um, please get off of me."

Hades and Hestia both looked at me sheepishly before standing and pulling me to my feet.

I let go of them quickly, curling inwards again and crossing my arms over my chest. Looking away from them, I observed the fire. There didn't seem to be anything different.

Then I noticed the paper sitting on the edge of the hearth.

"What's this?" I asked, picking it up. Nobody knew. I unfolded the note, reading it out loud.

 _Aren't you just as clueless as always? Yes, we are the Fates. Belle was correct. Also, your guests are on their way. We must warn you, however; you mustn't kill anyone. We don't care what they say. We don't care who their parents are. No killing, maiming, are otherwise destroying/harming any of your guests. Once you are finished reading, all of your guests will be returned to their proper lives…that is, if said lives still exist. You reading these books may or may not change the future. It won't change Belle's, though, so don't worry._

 _Sincerely,_

 _The Fates_

At the bottom, there was another note, one that I read to myself, blushing. (Faintly, I heard Aphrodite holding in a squeal, probably detecting some kind of cuteness no one else could see.)

 _P.S. Belle, honey, get ready—we have to take away your memories of these books. Sorry, but it's the only way to be sure everyone is on the same level. At the end, you'll get them back, we promise—and you'll get to keep any new memories you make with these...people._

I folded up the note, putting it back by the fire before inching away.

"Umm…Quick question," I said quietly. "What year is it?"

"2000," Hestia said curiously. "Why?"

"Just curious," I replied. "So, I guess you pulled me from the future?"

"Yeah…" Apollo said sheepishly. "That was my idea. See, I figured if you were from the future, when you went back you wouldn't be able to do anything about us being real." He shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Right." I rubbed my upper arms anxiously. "That certainly makes the note make more sense." I smiled at their confused expressions. "I've already read the books we're going to read. Unfortunately…" I trailed off curiously. "I don't remember what happened in them." I shrugged. "The Fates took my memories."

"Hmm…" Athena said. "Well, I suppose we will just have to wait for these guests to—"

Another bright light, and about a dozen people appeared in front of us. I jumped, shrinking back behind the hearth.

"—get here," she finished with a sigh.

Hermes laughed lightly.

"Holy Hephaestus!" one of the kids sputtered, stumbling a little bit. As he regained his footing, he looked around. "What are we doing here?!"

"Children," Zeus said gruffly. "Perhaps introductions are in order."

"What do you mean?" a girl asked. "You already know us."

"Not necessarily," Hestia said kindly. "It appears you are all from the future. You are here to read some books with us."

"I'd bet anything the Fates are behind this," another boy muttered. "Those old bats are gonna be the death of me—literally."

A few gods raised their eyebrows, exchanging a look.

 _He shouldn't be so brash addressing the gods,_ I thought.

"Well." Hermes was the first to recover. "Let's start with introductions. I assume you all know who we are." He smirked. "So, who are you?"

Awkward silence. The boy who swore before suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, are we doin' titles, too? 'Cuz that could be dangerous. Not to mention _long_ for some of us."

"This whole situation is dangerous," another boy muttered.

Everyone looked to a boy who looked about eighteen, with black hair and green eyes—he must be the leader.

"I guess we should. Might as well get it all out there."

The first one to step forward was a girl.

This girl had frizzy red hair and was dressed like a shaman (flowy clothes over pants), though she wore high-top light-up sneakers. She only looked about seventeen, but she seemed to commandeer respect nearly equal to that of the black-haired boy. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare," she said calmly, bowing slightly. "Oracle."

"Wait, what?!" Apollo said suddenly, sitting upright. "Oracle? How?"

She stood from her bow slowly, looking a bit sheepish. "Long story."

"One we have no time for," Artemis said impatiently. She looked at her brother sharply. "Continue with the introductions, please."

"Right, well," said the boy who had said everything was dangerous, stepping up and bowing deeply. He looked nervous, and it looked like he had a slight limp. He seemed to be about sixteen, dressed in high-top sneakers, jeans, and an orange t-shirt; but there was something about him that told me he was way older than that. "Grover Underwood. Satyr. Lord of the Wild. Finder of the great god Pan. Wanderer of the Labyrinth. Savior of Olympus."

The next boy, looking about fifteen (but still just as tall as the older kids), was… _dark_ —that's the only way to describe him. He had Italian skin and dark hair and eyes. His clothes **—** jeans and a skull t-shirt with an aviator jacket draped across his shoulders **—** were black, and he had a black sword strapped to his hip. I knew who he was related to before he said it. "I am Nico Di Angelo. Son of Hades. Before you say anything, Uncle Zeus," he said flatly, just as Zeus looked about to burst. "My father did not break your little agreement. I was trapped in a magic hotel for seventy years—that means I was born before you made the pact." He glared out at everyone. "Anyway. I am the Ghost King. Traveler of Shadows. Wanderer of the Labyrinth..." He trailed off, looking at the leader again. He in turn shared a look with the girl next to him, and they both nodded. Nico looked back to the gods. "...and Tartarus. Savior of Olympus." He stepped back.

" _Tartarus…_ " Hades murmured, looking at his son with concern. Hestia, beside him, put a reassuring hand on his arm. (I was a little surprised he let her get close to him, let alone touch him.)

The next girl stepped forward. She had black spiky hair and electric blue eyes. She looked about fifteen, and wore silver clothes. She seemed to radiate power. "I'm Thalia Grace. Daughter of Zeus. Lieutenant of the Huntresses of Artemis."

"Thalia?" Zeus questioned. "But…but you're a…"

"Tree?" Thalia grunted. "Yeah, well, not anymore. Busted outta that a couple of years ago."

Artemis sat up a bit at her title. "Lieutenant? My Huntresses? But…Zoë…?"

Thalia shook her head.

After a moment of silence, Demeter waved the next one forward. Two stepped forward, a boy and a girl, holding hands nervously.

The girl had dark skin and curly brown hair. She was a little short—maybe thirteen—wearing jeans, a purple shirt, a faux-leather jacket, and boots; with a javelin strapped to her back and a sword on each hip (different lengths, though, which was odd to me). "I am Hazel Levesque. Daughter of Pluto. Controller of the Mist. One of the Seven."

Zeus glared at his brother, whose image seemed to shimmer. It flickered between two pictures, like a hologram on the fritz. There was the one I'd seen him as first, with dark eyes lined in kohl-like circles, dark hair flopping into them; well-toned muscles under a dark button-up shirt and dress pants; and dress shoes. But then his appearance shifted, and he was suddenly wearing a black suit lined with rubies, emeralds, and precious metals; a cape; and a crown atop his shiny black hair, which was slightly longer, though he remained clean shaven. I thought I saw faces floating on the underside of the cape, but the image was gone before I could blink. Finally it stopped, and Hades held his head for a moment, as if in pain. Then he looked at his daughter, almost looking frightened.

Hera sat up straighter, if possible. "The Seven? But that's the _Second_ Great Prophecy! My plan worked?!"

"Yeah…" Thalia grumbled. "Your stupid plan for world peace worked just fine. Until we went to war for the second time in three years."

Most people shifted uncomfortably, obviously having heard her.

Finally, the boy beside Hazel cleared his throat. He was big and muscled, wearing a purple shirt and jeans with combat boots (like Hazel, he had several weapons strapped around his body); but he looked nervous, shifting awkwardly. He looked a little Chinese, and probably about fifteen. His hold on Hazel's hand was nervous but firm. "Uh…I'm Frank Zhang. Son of Mars. Legacy of Poseidon. Shape-shifter. Praetor of New Rome. One of the Seven."

Athena looked slightly angry. " _Romans?_ " she spat, as if just noticing.

The introductions were hastily continued.

The boy who swore stepped forward. He had elfin features and Latino skin, wearing dirty, holey jeans; a plain dark t-shirt (which looked alittle charred at the edges, actually); and work boots; looking about seventeen. His dark eyes sparked with mischief, and his hands kept fiddling with his tool belt. "I'm Leo Valdez. Son of Hephaestus. Fire Wielder. Designer and Commander of the Argo II. One of the Seven."

Two more stepped forward. The boy patted Leo on the back, and the girl just smiled.

She was beautiful in the way people are when they try not to be, an unusual look for a seventeen-year-old. Her orange t-shirt was tattered in a natural way, like she'd worn it for years. (I suspected this was not the case.) She wore her jeans tucked into a pair of well-worn leather cowboy boots, and there was a knife strapped to her belt. Her choppy brown hair fell over her shoulders prettily, framing her gorgeous eyes and tan face, and there was a feather hanging just behind her ear. "I'm Piper McLean," she said. Instantly, everyone relaxed, even me. I almost stepped out from behind the fire, if only to get close to her. "Daughter of Aphrodite. Charm Speaker. Defeater of Monsters. One of the Seven."

The boy squeezed her hand. He had short blond hair and bright blue eyes, taller than the rest even though he was probably about their age—maybe eighteen. He was dressed similarly to Frank, but I couldn't see any weapons on him. Instead of a purple shirt, his blue t-shirt had a Superman symbol on it. "I'm Jason Grace. Son of Jupiter and, yeah, I'm Thalia's brother."

Hera glared at her husband and huffed. "And I thought Romans were loyal."

Zeus shrunk a little in his seat, and I covered my mouth so I didn't giggle.

"Anyways," Jason continued. "I'm a Defeater of Giants. Flyer. Former Praetor of New Rome. One of the Seven."

As they stepped back, all eyes turned to the last two kids. They were leaving against each other heavily, looking very tired.

The girl was blond and athletic-looking, and her stormy grey eyes stared fiercely—if a bit droopy— at those around her. She wore jeans and an orange t-shirt, a knife holster on each hip; her hiking boots were dusty, like she'd been walking on dirt paths and climbing through holes covered in cobwebs for a couple of months.

The boy's black hair went well with his Mediterranean skin tone and sea-colored eyes. He looked like a teenaged version of Poseidon, even radiated a godly power similar to that of the gods or Thalia. He had on a ratty blue t-shirt and dark-wash jeans, which were tucked into what I assumed were hiking boots, but they looked kind of military-ish. He was gorgeous—tall and tan and lean and muscled.

Both of them looked worn down—like they'd been thrown through the ringer one too many times but still came back up on top.

Finally, after nodding with reluctance, they stood up straighter. The girl spoke first.

"Annabeth Chase. Daughter of Athena. Architect of Olympus. Former Carrier of the Sky. Wanderer of the Labyrinth and Tartarus. Slayer of Monsters and Giants. Destroyer of Arachne and Finder of the Athena Parthenos. Savior of Olympus. One of the Seven."

"Why would Olympus need an architect?" Hera scoffed, rolling her eyes. "It's perfectly fine the way it is." Then she glared at her husband. "Well, almost."

Zeus rolled his eyes.

I thought I heard the grey-eyed girl mutter something about "the last war", but I didn't catch it all. I did, however, see the green-eyed boy grimace.

"Athena Parthenos…My mark…" Athena murmured. "You did it? You defeated _her_?"

Annabeth smiled tightly, and the boy next to her scoffed. "Almost died trying," he muttered. Then he straightened. "I'm Percy Jackson. Son of Poseidon."

Zeus looked ready to explode. "POSEIDON!" he thundered. "YOU BROKE THE OATH!"

"So did you, brother," Poseidon said calmly, though he looked around nervously. "Perhaps we should just continue."

"Yes," Athena said quickly, glancing at her father. She shot a glare at Poseidon. "We should get this over with as quickly as possible, regardless of whatever Barnacle Beard has done."

"Anyway," Percy grunted. "Wanderer of the Labyrinth and Tartarus. Defeater of Many Monsters, Titans, Primordials, and Giants. Savior of Olympus. Former Carrier of the Curse of Achilles and of the Sky. Former Praetor of New Rome. One of the Seven."

Silence.

"Again," Athena muttered. "I motion to continue and get this over with as quickly as possible."

"Seconded," Hestia said cheerily, right beside my ear. I hadn't even noticed her approach. Quick as a wink, she grabbed my hand and pulled me from my hiding place. "Don't you agree, Belle?"

All the kids spun around, looking at me curiously. I shrunk back a little, but Hestia's hand kept me in place.

I should probably clarify on what I look like, huh?

I'm fairly tiny for my seventeen years, standing at barely five feet tall. I have dark brown hair that reaches down to the backs of my knees; it's a bit tangled, and I keep most of it up in a high ponytail—all but a few strands, which hang in my face. My green eyes shine through the sheet of brown in a grass-like color.

Though I have a very curvy physique and nice tan skin (all year round, which is a real pain since kids tease me about tanning too much—as if they don't do it), most of it is hidden under an oversized sweatshirt of my brother's and black boot-cut jeans. Since I was at home when I got beamed to the Empire State Building, I don't have any shoes on—just a pair of fluffy (yet strangely gripping) Christmas socks.

There's something else, I know…something I'm forgetting…

Oh, right!

The scars.

They're actually…really stupid. And weird. When I was younger (like, eleven), I was in a really bad accident. Hit and Run, I guess they call it. That's not the weird part.

I'd been walking with my parents at the time—my brother was home for holiday, and we were all going to meet him in the park down the street. As we walked through the park (me hopping a bit in the grass), we heard this screeching noise.

The three of us turned around just in time to get rammed into. I was told that my parents died on impact.

Still not weird. The weird part came later, when I was in the ICU.

Apparently, someone snuck into my room when I was asleep and cut me. No one knows how or why, but they slashed me all over: there are four long scars going across my face, barely missing my eye; eight lines over my chest; two on each arm (one on the upper part, one on the lower); and three on each leg.

It almost killed me.

I woke up briefly some time after the second surgery to find someone sitting on the edge of my bed. It was a little boy, maybe two or three, with blond hair and bright blue eyes.

"Hello," he said seriously.

"Hi." I tried to sit up a little, but winced and settled back down.

"I've been waiting for you."

I laughed a little bit. "Really? And who are you?"

He smiled, reaching over to pat my head. "Well, my name is Billy now, but you know me as Luke."

I couldn't help smiling back. "Sorry to tell you, but I don't know you."

He sighed. "Of course not. You just woke up." I chuckled, then winced. "Oh!" he gasped. He reached into his pocket and pulled out something that looked like a piece of candy. "Technically, you're not supposed to be able to eat this, but I heard that…well…you're adopted here, and your parents are…special."

"What?" I'd asked, eyeing the candy.

The boy rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Gods, are you this dimwitted in all your lives?" He sighed, bringing the candy close to my face. "This will make you better," he said slowly. "Eat it."

I took it from him, eyeing his face. "What kind is it?"

He looked thoughtful. "I don't know. What's your favorite food?"

I thought about it, then winced, grabbing my head. "Ow!" I saw his eyes widen, but waved it off. "I'm fine…I don't know what my favorite food is."

"You don't?" He paused for a moment, then leaned closer. "What's your name?"

"It's—" I stopped, then tried again. "My name is…" I looked at him, surprised. "I don't remember."

"Oh, boy," the kid muttered. "That's not good." He glanced at me for a second, then hopped off the bed and went over to a book bag sitting by the wall.

I watched him dig through the bag, looking for something. Finally, he grunted, pulling out a leather-bound book and walking back over to sit on the bed again.

"Here." He handed the book to me. "Don't tell anyone I have this, okay? I kind of snuck it through customs the other day, before I came looking for you—it's a gift from a friend on the other side. She _really_ likes to watch TV." Settling next to me, he flipped through the pages until he landed on a picture of a family. "That's you," he said, pointing at a little girl. She had a boy's arm around her and was holding a woman's hand.

"No, it's not," I said. "I don't remember any of this."

"What _do_ you remember?"

"I…I…" Nothing. "I don't remember anything."

"Exactly," the boy said. "You're lucky I'm here to help you. It's always difficult when a soul gets put into a body, rather than born into one. It doesn't happen often, thank gods. In this case…you don't remember who you are, or who you were, so I was permitted to. Now," he said, flipping the page. "Let me tell you who you are."

He taught me who I was, going through everything I'd known before. When he flipped the book closed, he looked down at the candy in my hand—it wasn't melted, but it was a little soft.

"You should eat that," he said. "It'll make you better, I promise."

"Okay," I said, nodding.

The boy smiled, hopping down and going to get his bag. "I'll see you around, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess."

A woman's voice started yelling down the hall. "Billy! Billy!"

"Is that your mom?"

"Yeah," he echoed slowly. "I guess."

He went to the door. "I'll check in with you every few years. Goodbye." He walked out.

I didn't see him again.

When he was gone, I did eat that candy—it tasted like apples and cream cheese. And I did feel better.

Back to the story at hand.

At this point, I'd given up the idea that this was a dream. If it was, it would have skipped right over the institutions and that weird conversation with Hestia. So, for some reason, I was totally fine with the absurd events occurring. Don't ask me! I don't know why I want freaking out!

The kids kept looking at me, so I waved and said, "Hi. I'm—" I stopped. "Belle. I'm Belle." I stepped back, and Hestia let me.

Leo and Rachel stepped toward us at the same time, but then seemed to think better of it.

"Well," Hermes said, clapping his hands together. "We should get started, huh? Reading these books?"

"What books?" Annabeth said curiously.

Dionysus sighed, bored.

"We're reading together," I said quickly. Everyone looked back at me, and I flinched back a little further. I continued, a little quieter. "No one knows what they are yet. We were waiting for you guys, thinking we'd get the books after you—"

A flash, and a box appeared in front of me.

"—arrived."

I sighed, then reached for the note pinned on top. I read out loud.

 _So, the guests have arrived. (By the way, PERSEUS JACKSON, good guess on us being the Fates.) Well…most of you are present. There will be others—gods, demigods…alive_ _ **and**_ _dead. These books are very precious, we hope you know. You should read all of them. In order. Although, if you don't read the companions, that's alright. They're good books, and they have interesting extra information in them. If you want to hear extra stories about the characters, you should read them. If you don't, that's okay, too. Anyway, get reading! Oh, and the guests will need a place to stay while your reading; if you're lucky, it'll only take a month or two to get through!_

 _Sincerely,_

 _The Fates_

Percy groaned. "How many times do I have to tell them to call me Percy?"

I sighed again, flipping open the box. It was pretty big, actually; about three feet deep, two foot wide, and half a yard in length. Inside, there were what looked like seven smaller boxes of different sizes, each neatly labeled. _Greeks (Read 1_ _st_ _) (2005-2009), Romans (Read 2_ _nd_ _) (2010-2014), Egyptians (Read 3_ _rd_ _) (2010-2012), Norse (Read 4_ _th_ _) (2015-2017), Apollo (Read 5_ _th_ _) (2016-2020), Companions (Scattered) (Check Years) (Choice),_ and _Graphic Novels (Individual Reading) (Choice)._

I looked up at the others, debating. Then I stuffed the one labeled "Apollo" down deep into the box. No reason to inflate his ego sooner than necessary.

"Hmm…" I muttered, then spoke louder. "There seem to be at least thirty in here, including the companions and graphic novels." Many, many groans all around. I waited for them to stop before continuing. "But the graphic novels' box says they're for individual reading, so that takes out six of them...Should we read the companions, or leave them out?"

Everyone started talking at once, muttering at first, then getting louder.

"Silence!" Zeus thundered.

Everyone went silent.

"We should get all the information first," Annabeth said, stepping toward the box. "Belle, how many companions are there?"

I flipped the biggest box open, nodding. Inside, there were two smaller boxes, both labeled: _History_ and _Assorted._ Flipping open each of those boxes, I saw that each book had a note on it, covering the title and displaying the year. "There are about seven…"

More groans.

"…But some are shorter than others, so maybe five?" I looked down at them, then quickly flipped through the pages of a few—not to read, but to gather what the content was. "Oh…But it looks like they're all in different points of view, with different characters, families, and groups of friends. And one of the boxes is labeled _History_ , and those two have pictures and what looks like someone's versions of the old myths and stories."

There was muttering throughout the two groups. This muttering was different, though: the crowd seemed interested, now.

Annabeth nodded. "Alright." She turned to the others. "Let's vote. All in favor of reading the companions?"

Hestia, Poseidon, Demeter, Hermes, Athena, Hera, Aphrodite, Artemis, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Rachel, Grover, Thalia, Frank, Hazel, and I all raised our hands first. Surprisingly, after a moment of deliberation, Apollo, Hades, Percy, Hephaestus (at prodding from his wife), Nico, and Leo raised their hands, as well.

"That's…23 out of 26, wow," I said. "Companions it is." There were no complaints, so I quickly picked out the companion novels with years between 2005 and 2009 (there was only one). Putting them with the box labeled "Greeks", I set them together on the floor, then closed up the larger box. "Alright, let's get started, shall we?"

Nods all around. I pulled out the first book on top in the box. "I think this is the…" I trailed off, surprised. I furrowed my eyebrows, slowly turning the cover so no one could see it. "Uh…Percy? Annabeth?" They looked at me, their eyes narrowing a little. "Could you guys come look at this?"

The two demigods exchanged a look. ( _Demigods_ , wow. I wondered briefly again why I wasn't freaking out about the existence of gods and such, but brushed it off as past experience. Which was a little odd to do, actually.) When the couple huddled around me, blocking the others out, I flipped the book back over so they could read the title.

The reaction was instantaneous: eyes widening, mouths dropping open, and (in Percy's case) cheeks reddening.

"Oh, gods," Annabeth whispered, covering her mouth. "I can't believe this." She sounded like she was trying not to laugh.

Percy groaned. "You've got to be f—"

"Percy!" Annabeth hissed.

"—kidding me!" he muttered, covering his face with his hands. "This cannot be real. This is just one of my crazy nightmares, right? When do I wake up?"

"Percy, if this was some crazy dream, why is _she_ here?" Annabeth asked, rolling her eyes as she pointed at me.

His sea-green eyes peeked through his fingers, peering down at me. He sighed. "Good point, as always, Wise Girl."

"What's a good point?"

We all jumped; Annabeth pulled a knife (I noticed with semi-detached curiosity that it was made of bone). I think I squeaked a little, jumping back behind Hestia. When I looked down, Leo was on the floor, grinning up at the place we'd been huddled.

"Good grief!" I gasped, clutching the book to my chest. I doubt anyone heard me.

Leo stood up, not bothering to brush himself off. "Well, you guys were just standing around!"

"We were…debating," I said quietly.

Annabeth sighed, sheathing her knife. She gestured at me. "Go ahead and tell them the title."

I looked at Percy, who nodded, looking defeated. Flipping the book over, I read:

 **PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THEIF**

Silence.

Then Rachel, Grover, Thalia, Leo, Jason, and Frank all started laughing like crazy. Piper an Hazel were close behind. The gods smiled at their children, but they still looked a bit confused. They all stayed silent.

"Oh my gods," Thalia said through her giggles. "Kelp Head's the main character? This should be good!"

"I sure hope he's not going to give us any advice," Rachel gasped, holding her stomach.

"Ha ha ha," Percy said flatly.

"Come on, guys," Annabeth said. "It makes sense, you know."

They calmed down a little, but there were still a few giggles. "Yeah, we know, Annabeth," Grover said.

"It's just really funny," Jason continued. He clapped Percy on the back. "Right, bro?" He grinned at Percy's red face.

"Yeah, okay," Percy muttered. "Whatever."

"Let's just get this over with," Hades said. He waved a hand, and a black throne appeared. He slumped into it, glaring out at everyone.

"Good idea," Hestia said happily, waving her own hand. Another chair appeared, closer to the hearth—it was more like a chair you'd see someone sitting in on a cold day near the fireplace, and it had a small separate ottoman. In addition, four couches appeared, sitting three each. Nico took the seat closest to Hestia's throne (it looked a lot like they were best buddies, getting ready to gossip), and Hazel and Frank sat next to him. Then it was Thalia, Grover, and Rachel; then Piper, Jason, and Leo. The last couch—the one farthest away, nearest Hades—was taken by Annabeth and Percy. I was about to head over there, following the pattern, but a tug on my hands pulled me toward Hestia's ottoman, where I sat nervously.

I looked up and saw that both Hestia and Nico had grabbed a hand. Nico let go quickly, and Hestia slowly slid my seat over so I was between them and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, like a shield.

I saw Annabeth glance at us warily. I met her stare evenly, shrugging. _What're ya gonna do?_

"Well." Hera looked around, her eyes settling on everyone as she came to them, before she spoke. "Who wants to read the first chapter?"

Nobody answered, looking at the people around them. Finally, Ares piped up.

"Well," he said, grinning evilly, "I think if the book is in Jackson's perspective, then he should be the one to start."

"That…is probably the most intelligent thing you've ever said, Ares." Artemis sounded so surprised that certain people (namely, Thalia, Percy, Annabeth, and I) couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Humph." Ares turned and stuck his tongue out at his half-sister, which only served to prove her point for her. Now nearly everyone was laughing. Ares huffed again. "Shut it, Arty."

Artemis glared. "You first."

Ares grinned again. "Never."

Artemis turned away, not bothering to look at him or answer him anymore. Ares made a face at the back of her head, scrunching his eyes together and turning his nose in the air. Everyone laughed again.

"Okay," Nico said after everyone calmed down. "Now that that's over with, I think I'd like to agree with Lord Ares. Percy should definitely start us off. I mean, it seems fitting that he would be reading his own thoughts to us. Right?" He looked around and saw that everyone was nodding along with him.

"Alright," Percy said. "I guess I'll read first. Pass the book down." I passed it to Nico, then watched as it made its way down the line. When it got to Percy, he sighed and flipped to the first page. "One," he read.


	3. Author's Note: Hi!

**Hey, guys! So, I don't know how many of you have read my other stories, so I guess I'll just pretend you're all new!**

 **I'm Anya! I read and watch a lot of different things-Hetalia, OHSHC, PJO, Goddess Test, etc-so you can check out my other stories, if you want. You can also PM me, but I probably won't answer right away.**

 **Anyway, this is my brand-new Percy Jackson story! I've actually been a fan for years, but I just got this great idea for this story and** ** _had_** **to get it out.**

 **I hope everyone enjoys! Read and Review, please-I LOVE feedback!**

 **Happy Reading!**

 **Love, Anya**


	4. Chapter 3

_**CHAPTER 3**_

 **One**

 **I ACCIDENTALLY VAPORIZE MY PRE-ALGEBRA TEACHER**

Percy paused, as if concentrating. Then he smirked. "Oh, I remember this." He rolled his eyes. "So we're starting _there_."

"What?" Hazel was confused.

"Why would you kill your teacher?" Athena asked, looking scandalized.

Annabeth scoffed. "You'll see."

Athena still looked a bit confused, but gestured for Percy to continue.

 **Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood.**

"Yeah, well," Thalia grumbled, "who ever did?"

 **If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is:**

All the teens, except Percy and I, gasped.

"What?" Athena asked, puzzled.

Annabeth answered her mother. "Whenever Percy tries to give advice, it usually ends badly."

"Yeah," Thalia laughed, "Kelp Head over here sucks at advice."

"Hey!" Percy protested. "I'm not _that_ bad." Everyone looked at him. "Okay, maybe I've had a couple of wrong turns, but none of them ended too horribly."

"Yeah, right, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth was trying to hold in her laughter, but wasn't really succeeding. "Name one time you've given good advice."

Percy stayed silent.

"Yeah. That's what I thought." Annabeth looked smug.

"Whatever, Wise Girl." Percy pouted, looking away. "Let's just continue with the book."

 **close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.**

"Whoa," Frank interrupted. "That was actually pretty good."

Percy stuck his tongue out before continuing.

 **Being a half-blood is dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.**

Annabeth turned towards Percy and stared at him strangely.

"What?" he finally asked.

"Are we sure this is you?" Annabeth asked.

"Why would we not be? I mean, not very many _half-bloods_ have the name _Perseus Jackson_ ," Percy said sarcastically. "Unless you know something I don't know." He looked at her expectantly, making her blush.

"No," she said finally, "I just meant that this guy seems more intelligent than you."

Now it was Percy's turn to blush, while everyone else laughed.

"Whatever."

 **If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.**

I saw the gods look at me, and I blushed a little, looking down.

"You're one of those, aren't you?" Rachel asked. She leaned over to look at me.

"I guess," I replied. "The Fates took my memories of these books before you got here, but I did read them. And…Actually, some things are starting to make sense now." I narrowed my eyes for a moment. _Why did I say that?_ I gestured at Percy to keep reading.

As he continued, I felt eyes on me.

Nico was looking at me suspiciously, like he wasn't really looking at me, but _through_ me—or maybe _inside_ me. When I looked back at him, he looked away.

 **But if you recognize yourself in these pages—if you feel something stirring inside—stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before** _ **they**_ **sense it too, and they'll come for you.**

"They?" Hermes asked curiously.

"Monsters, I assume," Piper replied.

 **Don't say I didn't warn you.**

"Three, two, one…" Nico muttered.

"You didn't warn us!" All the teens (except Percy, Nico, and I) shouted.

"Whatever," Percy grumbled. He glanced back at the book, then smirked.

 **My name is Percy Jackson.**

"We _know_ that," Dionysus said tiredly.

"No, that's in the book," Percy replied.

"Oh. Continue, Peter Johnson."

A bunch of the teens laughed.

"Did I say something funny?" Dionysus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You'll see," Thalia replied with a grin.

 **I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding school student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.**

 **Am I a troubled kid?**

"You could say that," Annabeth said cheerily, leaning against Percy.

 _I'm glad I didn't sit over there, after all,_ I thought.

 **Yeah. You could say that.**

Annabeth's eyes widened.

Thalia giggled. "Annabeth, you think like a Kelp Head."

"Shut up, Thals," Annabeth hissed, flushing red.

 **I could start at any point in my short miserable life to prove it, but things really started going bad last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan—twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.**

"That sounds nice," Annabeth and Athena said in unison. Athena beamed at her daughter, but she turned away.

"More like torture," Hermes and Apollo muttered.

I giggled. "Museums are boring, but ancient things are beautiful. So much better than the stuff going around now."

Athena looked at me curiously. "It is odd to hear a mortal say that."

I smiled. "I've always been into history, and I studied architecture last year as an elective." Now nearly everyone was looking at me; I blushed and tried to make myself a little smaller.

Aphrodite squealed, clapping. "Oh, look at her! So pretty _and_ smart! And so shy! Oh, I wish she was one of mine! So cute! Piper, wouldn't she be such a nice sister?"

I blushed more, looking down. Aphrodite's appearance had finally aligned with my image of perfection. She was ( _duh_ ) really pretty—tall and skinny (but not overly so), with long golden blond hair and bright green eyes. Her image made me feel ugly, despite her words.

Piper was looking at me sympathetically, but I didn't meet her gaze.

"Percy, you should keep reading," I said, not looking up.

"Right."

 **I know—it sounds like torture.**

I could almost _hear_ Athena glaring at Percy.

Hermes and Apollo air high-fived.

 **Most Yancy field trips were.**

 **But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes.**

 **Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee.**

"Chiron?" Jason asked.

Percy nodded. "Yeah."

"Right!" Grover said suddenly. "I almost forgot he came to teach you."

 **You wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class didn't put me to sleep.**

"You sleep in class?!" Athena exploded. "How rude!"

"Don't worry, Mother," Annabeth said. "He doesn't do that anymore."

"Only because you won't let me." A pause. "And because, well…no school."

 **I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn't get in trouble.**

"Yeah, right," Frank laughed. "With your luck?"

 **Boy, was I wrong.**

 **See, bad things happen to me on field trips. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon. I wasn't aiming for the school bus, but of course I got expelled anyway. And before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I sort of hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim. And the time before that…Well, you get the idea.**

"Please go on!" Apollo shouted. He and Hermes were almost rolling on the floor. "This is gold!"

"Well, I—"

"Don't encourage them, Perseus," Poseidon said. He smiled at his son.

"Aw, come on, Uncle P," Hermes whined.

Percy quickly read on.

 **This trip, I was determined to be good.**

Almost all of the teens scoffed, and Percy turned red.

 **All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac girl, hitting my best friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich.**

"Eww!" Piper, Hazel, Rachel, Hera, and Aphrodite all squealed. I just blinked.

At the same time, Thalia looked over at Grover. She looked murderous. "I'll kill her," she growled.

"It's okay, Thalia," Grover said nervously.

 **Grover was on easy target.**

"Gee, thanks, Pers," Grover said flatly.

"Sorry, man," Percy said.

 **He was scrawny. He cried when he got frustrated. He must've been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. On top of all that, he was crippled. He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him, but don't let that fool you. You should've seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.**

Thalia and Annabeth were just about _rolling_ with laughter.

"Way to blow your cover, Goat Boy," Thalia howled.

Grover turned beet red. "Keep reading, Percy."

Percy chuckled, but continued.

 **Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair, and she knew I couldn't do anything back to her because I was already on probation.**

"Probation?" Dionysus said, perking up.

"Not that kind, Mr. D," Grover said nervously.

 **The headmaster had threatened me with death**

"Death?!" Poseidon looked floored.

 **by in-school suspension**

"Oh," he sighed, sinking back into his chair.

Percy smiled.

 **if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip.**

"Well, that's no fun," Hermes mumbled.

" **I'm going to kill her," I mumbled.**

"Oh, jeez," Thalia whispered. "I think like Kelp Head."

"Welcome to the club," Annabeth replied.

 **Grover tried to calm me down. "It's okay. I like peanut butter."**

"With ketchup?" Aphrodite asked. She wrinkled her nose.

"Not really," Grover admitted.

 **He dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch.**

" **That's it." I started to get up, but Grover pulled me back to my seat.**

" **You're already on probation," he reminded me. "You know who'll get blamed if anything happens."**

 **Looking back on it, I wish I'd decked Nancy Bobofit right then and there.**

"Yes," Ares hissed, leaning forward. "Yes, you should."

I saw Percy roll his eyes, and Annabeth shook her head at him.

 **In-school suspension would've been nothing compared to the mess I was about to get myself into.**

"Meaning?" Artemis asked curiously.

"Percy hasn't exactly had it easy, Lady Artemis," Grover replied.

Nico scoffed. "Meaning, of course, that while we've all had it rough, Percy has had five thousand times more problems to deal with."

"Yeah," Thalia continued. "I hate to agree with Death Breath over there, but there's a reason I said nobody would choose our lives."

The gods exchanged looks, somber.

Then Nico looked at Thalia scathingly. "Come one, Thals. If you're gonna give me a nickname, call me the Ghost King."

Thalia pretended to think about it. "Nah," she said finally. "Death Breath suits you. Besides, it's not like you and Kelp Head don't call me names."

"Shut up, Pinecone Face," Percy and Nico said together.

Everyone laughed. (Except Zeus—he just looked irritated that the boys were teasing his daughter)

"Case in point."

 **Mr. Brunner led the museum tour.**

 **He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery.**

 **It blew my mind that this stuff had survived for two thousand, three thousand years.**

"Longer," Zeus said happily.

"I love that exhibit," I mumbled quietly. Hestia smiled at me.

 **He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a** _ **stele**_ **, for a girl about our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting,**

"So you _are_ capable of listening," Annabeth said, giggling.

 **but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the evil eye.**

 **Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker. She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown.**

Hades raised an eyebrow, and he and Nico shared a look. Nico nodded.

Hades seemed much more interested in the story then.

 **From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured I was devil spawn. She would point her crooked finger at me and say, "Now, honey," real sweet, and I knew I was going to get after-school detention for a month.**

 **One time, after she'd made me erase answers out of old workbooks until midnight, I told Grover I didn't think Mrs. Dodds was human. He looked at me, real serious, and said, "You're absolutely right."**

"Nice one," Thalia said.

"I didn't think he'd take me seriously." Grover turned red again.

 **Mr. Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art.**

 **Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, and I turned around and said, "Will you** _ **shut up?**_ **"**

 **It came out louder than I meant it to.**

"Of course it did," Jason said softly, chuckling. Piper laughed with him.

 **The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story.**

" **Mr. Jackson," he said, "did you have a comment?"**

 **My face was totally red. I said, "No, sir."**

 **Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"**

 **I looked at the carving, and felt a flash of relief, because I actually recognized it.**

"Percy, recognizing something?" Rachel asked, shocked. "No way!"

"Bet I can guess which it is," I breathed silently. Nico glanced at me, but said nothing.

" **That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"**

" **Yes," Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied. "And he did this because…"**

" **Well…" I racked my brain to remember. "Kronos was the king god, and—"**

"God?!" said children shouted.

In Hestia's case, she'd at least moved away from me a bit.

"I'm sure Chiron corrected him," Annabeth said. Athena nodded.

" **God?" Mr. Brunner asked.**

"See?"

" **Titan," I corrected myself. "And…he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters—"**

" **Eeew!" said one of the girls behind me.**

"Yes, it was _quite_ disgusting," Hera said, shuddering. Hestia, Hades, Poseidon and Demeter did the same.

"— **and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," I continued, "and the gods won."**

Athena seemed vaguely interested now. "You just…summed up the biggest war in history…in half of a sentence."

"Yeah," Percy said. "I guess so." He smiled charmingly at her, shrugging, then turned back to the book.

 **Some snickers from the group.**

 **Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids'."**

"Well, maybe in New Rome," Percy said with a smirk. "Huh, Jace?"

Jason pretended to think, then shrugged, also smirking. "Don't know. You'd have to get a _real_ job and quit stealing other people's."

Percy rolled his eyes, looking out at the others. "Gods. You become praetor _one_ time and you never live it down. I swear."

Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Percy, Frank, Hazel, and Nico all chuckled.

"Wait, what?" Ares asked suddenly. He leaned forward. "I thought you said you were Greek."

"I am," Percy replied. "I was only praetor for, like, half a second. Somebody—"

I swear he glared right towards Hera.

"—snatched me from my life and plopped me in New Rome."

Silence.

Dionysus looked like he was about to say something, but Artemis inadvertently cut him off. "I'm sure we'll find out soon. Let's continue."

" **And why, Mr. Jackson," Brunner said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"**

"Busted," Hermes and Apollo sang.

Percy laughed.

"What?" Apollo asked.

Percy held up a finger, then kept reading.

" **Busted," Grover muttered.**

Now nearly everyone laughed.

" **Shut up," Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair.**

 **At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears.**

"No, just that of a horse," Dionysus said boredly.

 **I thought about his question, and shrugged. "I don't know, sir."**

" **I see." Mr. Brunner looked disappointed. "Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest of the Underworld. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"**

"Oh, wow, Chiron," Piper giggled. "That's perfect."

 **The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses.**

"As boys are bound to do," Artemis said. She sighed. "Some things never change."

 **Grover and I were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, "Mr. Jackson."**

 **I knew that was coming.**

 **I told Grover to keep going. Then I turned toward Mr. Brunner. "Sir?"**

 **Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go—intense brown eyes that could have been a thousand years old and had seen everything.**

"They have," Hestia whispered.

" **You must learn the answer to my question," Mr. Brunner told me.**

" **About the Titans?"**

" **About real life. And how your studies apply to it."**

" **Oh."**

"Don't 'oh'," Annabeth said. "He's right. That stuff is important."

"Sorry, Wise Girl," Percy sighed. "You know, I didn't believe in any of this then. I didn't even really start believing until long after I got to camp."

"Bet you believe now, huh?" Leo chuckled.

"Definitely."

" **What you learn from me," he said, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson."**

 **I wanted to get angry, this guy pushed me so hard.**

"Only because he cares," Annabeth said.

 **I mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman armor and shouted: "What ho!" and challenged us, sword-point against chalk, to run to the board and name every Greek and Roman person who had ever lived, and their mother, and what god they worshipped.**

"Even _I_ couldn't do that," Annabeth said.

Athena almost looked disappointed.

 **But Mr. Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact that I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a C- in my life. No—he didn't expect me to be** _ **as good**_ **; he expected me to be** _ **better**_ **. And I just couldn't learn all those names and facts, much less spell them correctly.**

"I still can't," Percy interrupted himself. "Not all of them, at least."

"You've gotten better, though," Annabeth replied. She squeezed his arm.

"Only because you've taught me," Percy said happily. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Aphrodite squealed while Athena glared. Poseidon looked conflicted, torn between happiness and hate.

 **I mumbled something about trying harder, while Mr. Brunner took one long sad look at the stele like he'd been at this girl's funeral.**

"I wonder who it is." Demeter asked.

"I don't know," Athena said. "It's been a while since I was there."

 **He told me to go outside and eat my lunch.**

 **The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.**

 **Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city. I figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York state had been weird since Christmas. We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in.**

"What are you two fighting about _now_?" Hera asked, rolling her eyes at Zeus and Poseidon.

"I don't know, dear," Zeus replied. He sighed. "I'm sure it will say at some point."

 **Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pick pocket something from a lady's purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing.**

"Are you sure she's not one of yours, Hermes?" Hades said with a smirk.

I giggled a little bit as Hermes thought about it. "Nah, she's not. Maybe she's one of Ares'. She seems mean enough."

"She's not mine!" Ares replied. "My kids are nowhere _near_ that sneaky."

 **Grover and I sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from** _ **that**_ **school—the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere.**

"I don't think it worked," Grover said.

"Yeah, me neither," Percy chuckled.

" **Detention?" Grover asked.**

" **Nah," I said. "Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean—I'm not a genius."**

"We _all_ know that!" most of the kids shouted. Then everyone was laughing.

 **Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when I thought he was going to give me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he said, "Can I have your apple?"**

Grover turned red yet again as the room howled with laughter.

"Nice, Goat Boy," Annabeth giggled.

 **I didn't have much of an appetite, so I let him take it.**

 **I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my mom's apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I hadn't seen her since Christmas. I wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. She'd hug me and be glad to see me, but she'd be disappointed, too. She'd send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years**

Apollo and Hermes whistled in unison. "Wow," Hermes said slowly, shaking his head. "Quite a record."

"Yeah," Percy replied. "We all have them." He paused. "Well, the Greeks do. Not sure about the Romans."

"We're hanging with Lupa by then, usually," Jason interjected. "And New Rome has schools there, which are specially designed for demigods."

 **and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give me.**

"Mama's boy," Ares said, smirking.

"And what's wrong with that?" Hera asked, looking at her son.

"Nothing, Mom," Ares said quickly, shrinking in his chair.

"That's what I thought," Hera replied with a smile. She looked at Percy. "You should treat your mother well."

Percy looked like he was gritting his teeth, but he nodded politely anyway.

 **Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized café table.**

"Cool!" Leo said suddenly. He pulled a notepad out of one of the pockets of his tool belt. He started mumbling to himself, scribbling on the paper. When the room stayed silent, he looked up. "Oh, you can keep reading."

 **I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of me with her ugly friends—I guess she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists—and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.**

A lot of groans.

" **Oops." She grinned at me with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos.**

 **I tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, "Count to ten, get control of your temper." But I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears.**

The sound of collective eye-rolls was almost supersonic.

 **I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy pushed me!"**

 **Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us.**

 **Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see—"**

"— **the water—"**

"— **like it grabbed her—"**

There was that noise again.

 **I didn't know what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was in trouble again.**

 **As soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure that poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, etc., etc., Mrs. Dodds turned on me. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if I'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester. "Now, honey—"**

" **I know," I grumbled. "A month erasing workbooks."**

"Never guess your punishment!" Apollo and Hermes said.

 **That wasn't the right thing to say.**

"Duh!"

" **Come with me," Mrs. Dodds said.**

" **Wait!" Grover yelped. "It was me.** _ **I**_ **pushed her."**

 **I stared at him, stunned. I couldn't believe he was trying to cover for me. Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death.**

"She still does," Grover grumbled.

 **She glared at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled.**

" **I don't think so, Mr. Underwood," she said.** " **But—"**

" **You—** _ **will**_ **—stay—here."**

 **Grover looked at me desperately.**

" **It's okay, man," I told him. "Thanks for trying."**

" **Honey," Mrs. Dodds barked at me.** _ **"Now."**_

 **Nancy Bobofit smirked.**

 **I gave her my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare.**

Jason, Hazel, Frank, Annabeth, Grover, Thalia, Rachel, Nico, and Leo all shuddered.

"I remember that stare," Grover said, shivering.

"If it's anything like his wolf stare, it's pretty threatening," Hazel added.

"It can't be _that_ bad," Ares said, scoffing.

"It was enough to scare _Lord_ _Hades_ ," Nico replied. "I'd say it's pretty bad." Hades looked like he wanted to protest—whether about the stare scaring him or his son not calling him _Dad_ , I wasn't quite sure.

Percy just smirked and continued reading.

 **Then I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on.**

 **How'd she get there so fast?**

 **I have moments like that a lot, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I know I've missed something, as if a puzzle piece fell out of the universe and left me staring at the blank space behind it. The school councilor told me this was part of my ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.**

"Of course they want you medicated," Hephaestus said gruffly. "Most of them are monsters."

"I said the same thing," Annabeth said with a smile. "Almost word for word."

"Smart girl," he replied, nodding.

 **I wasn't so sure.**

 **I went after Mrs. Dodds.**

 **Halfway up the steps, I glance back at Grover. He was looking pale, cutting his eyes between me and Mr. Brunner, like he wanted Mr. Brunner to notice what was going on, but Mr. Brunner was absorbed in his novel.**

 **I looked back up. Mrs. Dodds had disappeared again. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall.**

 **Okay, I thought. She's going to make me buy a new shirt for Nancy at the gift shop.**

 **But apparently that wasn't the plan.**

"Of course not," Nico mumbled beside me.

 **I followed her deeper into the museum. When I finally caught up to her, we were back in the Greek and Roman section.**

 **Except for us, the gallery was empty.**

 **Mrs. Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird noise in her throat, like growling.**

 **Even without the noise, I would've been nervous. It's weird being alone with a teacher, especially Mrs. Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it…**

 **"You've been giving us problems, honey," she said.**

 **I did the safe thing. I said, "Yes, ma'am."**

"Good boy," Artemis said, nodding thoughtfully. "I doubt it makes a difference in the turn of events, but treating a woman with respect is always, in fact, the safe thing."

"Thank you, Lady Artemis."

 **She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?"**

 **The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.**

 **She's a teacher, I thought nervously. It's not like she's going to hurt me.**

"Well…" Hazel trailed off.

 **I said, "I'll-I'll try harder, ma'am."**

 **Thunder shook the building.**

 **"We are not fools, Percy Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain. "**

 **I didn't know what she was talking about.**

 **All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorm room. Or maybe they'd realized I got my essay on** _ **Tom Sawyer**_ **from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book.**

"Oh, you are _so_ reading that book after the war," Annabeth said. "I'll make you survive just for that."

Percy groaned.

 **"Well?" she demanded.**

 **"Ma'am, I don't..."**

 **"Your time is up," she hissed.**

 **Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons.**

"You sent a Fury after my son?!" Poseidon shouted.

Hades flinched. "Well, technically, it appears so. But there could be any number of reasons for it."

"Don't sweat it, Dad," Percy spoke up. "Me and Uncle Hades have an agreement of sorts after this. Much better terms, promise."

Poseidon settled back in his chair, though he did shoot a glare at Hades. He wasn't paying attention, though; he was looking at Percy with an odd look on his face.

 **Then things got even stranger.**

 **Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand.**

 **"What ho, Percy!" he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air.**

"A pen?!" Apollo asked. "What's a pen gonna do?"

Percy pulled a pen from his pocket, handing the book to Annabeth so he could uncap it. When he did, the pen grew outward, stretching into a bronze sword.

At the exact same time, I got a pain behind my eyes. "Gah!" I gasped. Vaguely, I noticed Nico, Aphrodite, Hera, Artemis, and Hestia look over at me.

Images flashed under my lids, almost too quick to process:

A young girl and boy, running through a garden.

A gold dragon.

A hairclip that looked like a metal holly plant.

A bronze sword glinting in the moonlight.

The sun setting behind a black mountain.

A statue of stone in the shape of a man, his arms held above to lift a dark vortex.

Five girls, dancing and laughing around a tree of golden apples, dressed in flowing gossamer gowns.

I pitched forward toward the ground. Arms caught me before my body hit the ground, and I found myself looking up into calm **—** though with an underlying panic **—** obsidian eyes. Before I could concentrate on them, though, the pain returned, and my eyes rolled up into their sockets, and I slumped further into the embrace, my head lolling back as my consciousness faded.

"Oh my gods!" I heard someone scream, far off to my left. It was high pitched, like a bird. There was a scramble of footsteps, shadows in front of my eyelids, a warm hand on my forehead and a cold one on my arm.

Then it all went black.


	5. Chapter 5

**I know I haven't updated any of my stories in a while, but that's because I recently made the move to Archive of Our Own! My new handle over there is AnonymousObsesser, come look me up!**

 **I'm going to move all my stories over there after posting this, so I'll hopefully be able to update a few of them. I still don't know how often that will be, though-it probably won't be too often, and I may just end up waiting to do some mass updates next summer.**

 **Regardless, I hope you'll hop over there and check me out! I won't be deleting this account, but I also won't be updating here any more.**

 **Sorry if this makes ya'll ditch me!**

 **Hope to see you soon!**


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